Bodybuilding Exercises - How to Weight Train

BODY & STRENGTH TRAINING GUIDELINES

1. WARM-UP and STRETCH before you lift.
2. Practice good mechanics. Don't sacrifice technique for too
much weight.
3. Lift the weight SMOOTHLY with strict control.
4. Do not jerk or bounce the weight. Don't squirm or angle to
gain a leverage advantage.
5. ISOLATE the muscle groups or body parts involved in the exercise.
All other body parts are to remain static and work as stabilizers.
6. Utilize a full range of motion on every exercise. Pre-stretch
the muscle at the beginning of the exercise and finish with a
complete contraction or until there is no range of movement left.
7. Choose the weight carefully. It is better to start too light
rather than too heavy.
8. Do ALL OF THE SETS in each exercise before moving to the next
exercise.
9. Always THINK SAFETY. Use spotters when performing heavy lifts.
Check the condition of the equipment you will be using. Wear a
weight belt, especially for overhead lifts.
10. You can never have too much common sense. Trust your own judgement
and body awareness. Don't try to lift through pain. Know the difference
between muscle fatigue and actual pain. Don't predispose yourself
to injury by not paying attention to what your body is telling
you.

MACHINES vs. FREE WEIGHTS

Machines - Pro.....If you're low on time, using machines can
be an efficient way to get in a workout. Putting a pin into the
weight stack is quicker than loading up a barbell, plus the arrangement
of machines in a gym facilitates changing exercises efficiently.
If you're new to the gym, and without a trainer, machines are
a safe way to go. Most machines have diagrams to help you with
proper lifting form. If you have injuries, machines will help
stabilize your body. With the extra support, you can focus on
healthy muscles, and give the injuries time to heal. If you want
to lift heavy weights without assistance, machines will help.
The security of the machine allows you to lift more, without fear
of dropping weights. If you want to train one specific muscle
group, machines aid in focus. It is difficult to do certain exercises
(like a leg curl) with free weights, and a machine will hone right
in on your desired goal.

Machines - Con..... Machines let you cruise through an exercise
without bringing in stabilizing muscles. You don't get true strength
that relates to the movement in your daily life. Machines don't
fit all bodies. If you are very small or very tall, the machines
may not fit your size, and the exercise won't be mechanically
efficient, leading to frustration or injury. Machines don't give
you much variation. Most machines create a forced or guided two-dimensional
movement pattern, so you are limited in how your muscles develop.The
same old same old: not only do your muscles get bored, so does
your brain. Loss of motivation can lead you to dropping out of
your fitness program. Machines get filled if the gym is busy.
Your time is valuable. Standing around, waiting for someone to
get off the machine that you want, is a hassle and a turn-off
when you want to get in shape.

Free Weights- Pro.... Free weight equipment Get more bang for
your buck with barbells and dumbells. There are so many more exercises
that you can do with free weights, at home or at the gym, than
with big, expensive machines. You can fit the exercise to your
body. Since there are no range of motion inhibitors, almost anyone
can use free weights. Motor skills are enhanced. With free weights,
more demands are made on your muscles to stabilize and balance
your body and the weight, giving you more work completed per exercise,
getting you fitter, faster. Keep your interest up. Every workout
with free weights can be different. Changing the angle of movement
or rotation at a joint will challenge your body and brain. You
can exercise anywhere. Once you get accustomed to free weights,
you can go into any gym and feel comfortable. Plus, you can design
your own home gym easily and inexpensively.

Free Weights- Con.... You'll need to get advice to help you get
the right workout program design. Hiring a trainer or researching
the best exercises for you must come first. Proper form is paramount.
Again, hiring a trainer will get you started out right, before
you get into bad habits. Imbalances in the body are heightened.
You will have to concentrate to keep your body aligned, and add
some balancing work. Greater chance of getting injured. If you
don't know what you're doing, free weights can hurt you faster
than get you fit. You'll need a lifting partner if you plan on
pumping heavy iron. Get a partner or trainer to help check your
form: it's easy to get sloppy, even when you know what to do.
For example, don't try a heavy weight in the squat or bench press
without a "spotter". Make sure that you can control
the weight and do the exercise in perfect position. All in all,
a combination of machines and free weights in your program is
the best. For optimal use of your time, plan your workouts according
to what you need. Do you want general strength or sports performance?
What is more important to you, better balance or bigger muscles?
Get advice from a professional, and stay motivated with a variety
of exercises.

TERMS IN RESISTANCE TRAINING : Repetitions, Sets

A repetition is a single completed movement of an exercise from
starting position, through the entire movement, then back to the
starting position. If a person lifts 300 lb. in the bench press
twice, he or she is doing two repetitions with 300 lb.. (Abbreviated
as "reps".)

A set is a specific number of reps performed consecutively without
resting. A bodybuilder who lifts 250 lb. in the bench press for
eight reps, takes a short rest, and then does another eight reps
has done two sets of eight reps. (Workout representation: 2 x
8).

Repetition Maximum is the maximum weight (or resistance) you
can lift for a specific number of repetitions to exhaustion. In
a 6 RM test, a lifter is able to lift 6 reps with a specific resistance.
Strength coaches can determine a 1 RM to design a percentage of
load for a specific exercise.

Say an athlete has a personal best (1 RM) of 400 lb. His workout
demand is an exercise intensity level of 80% for a predetermined
number of repetitions. The athlete will use 320 lb. for the exercise
(80% of 400 lb. =320 lb.). When your major goal is to increase
the power output of a muscle and not just its ability to lift
maximal loads, increase the intensity of an exercise by increasing
the velocity of movement.
Research shows most people can complete eight repetitions with
85% of their maximum resistance and 12 repetitions with 75% of
their maximum resistance. Thus 75-85% of your maximum resistance
provides optimum training intensity for building muscle. This
is the reason why 8-12 reps are popular in body-building exercises.

You determine by trial the exact amount of weight that fills
that requirement. In the past, people determined resistance from
the maximum amount of weight you could use for one repetition.
However that method presents a high risk of injury. Research proves
that training at 60% of 1 RM for 10 reps is enough to build muscle
strength. If your concern is strength fitness, 10-15 reps with
an intensity of 60-70% of 1 RM will give all you need.

Strength training is at the opposite end of the continuum from
endurance training. You develop endurance by performing low-intensity
exercise for a relatively long time; strength is developed by
performing high-intensity exercise for a relatively short time.
In athletic strength training the intensity is high and is normally
in the range of 4-6 RM and at times as low as 2 RM. RM Load: Repetition
Maximum is a range from strength to endurance. Use it as a guide
to determine which primary muscle feature you want to develop.

STRENGTH & ENDURANCE

When you use 6 RM or less as a set, you primarily develop STRENGTH.
When you use 8-12 RM you define MUSCLE.

Routines: A routine is a combination of exercises to work a
specific muscle group. An example of a routine for working the
pectorals would consist of several sets of exercises that incorporate
bench presses, dips and crossover cable movements.

Positive and Negative: In strength training, when the lifter
lowers the bar, he or she is performing negative work, whereas
raising the bar is positive work. When you lower a specific weight,
you allow muscle to lengthen along with the resistance. This is
called eccentric action (not eccentric contraction) or negative
resistance. An example of this form of exercise is when you lower
the bar weight to your pectorals during a bench press exercise.
We don't recommend lifters do negative bench press exercises.
Heavy negative training increases your muscle's ability to handle
eccentric work, but limits growth in your ability to handle positive
loads. Doing a lot of negative training is also associated with
delayed muscle soreness that increases recuperation time between
each workout. Weight lifters must use positive and negative work
in all exercises.

Maximal Muscular Contraction: The most effective way to increase
muscular strength seems to be voluntary maximal muscular contractions,
often referred to as overloading the muscle. In other words, the
muscle must contract against a resistance it normally does not
encounter. This process stimulates physiological changes which
cause an increase in muscle strength and size. The last repetition
in a set to failure is a voluntary maximal muscular contraction
even though the force produced is not the maximal force possible
during the set. Many resistance training systems use sets to failure
and/or RMs to overload the muscle and its associated training
effects.

Muscle Action: The activity of muscle: In a concentric action
the ends of the muscle are drawn closer together. In an isometric
action, the ends of the muscle are prevented from drawing closer
together, with no change in length. In an eccentric action, a
force external to the muscle overcomes the muscle force and the
ends of the muscle are drawn further apart. The strength of a
muscle or muscle group is the maximal force generated at a specific
or determined speed.

Muscle Tone: refers to the firmness of the muscle. Hypertrophy:
an increase in the size of a muscle, organ, or other body part
caused by enlargement of the cells that make it up.

THE 6 IMPORTANT R's

1. Range of Motion:
The complete movement capability of a joint. You must perform
each and every exercise through a complete range of motion (except
the squat). For example, if you work on the triceps push-down
machine, ensure your triceps initial starting point is at neck
level and extend until your elbows are straight. Range of motion
is important when we talk about the second R.

2. Resistance
Pick a resistance level so you can perform an exercise through
its full range of motion without excessive "cheating,"
or using body swing. (momentum) Yet that chosen resistance must
also tax the muscles for the desired number of repetitions, the
third R.

3. Repetitions
When choosing the number of repetitions (how many times the exercise
can be done), you must first decide what results you want from
the program. Generally, lower repetitions (up to 12 reps) produce
muscle strength. High repetitions (15 to 30 reps) produce muscle
endurance. The bodybuilder (training for increased muscle mass)
does many sets of many repetitions to exhaustion. Yet they will
not have the same absolute strength as the athlete who trains
for strength rather than for muscle definition or build.

4. Rest
Your body needs about three minutes rest between each set of repetitions
before it is ready to work near full capacity again. Say you do
several repetitions of the curl for one set of curls. Begin your
second set of repetitions after about three minutes of rest. The
first set will have depleted the cells' store of phosphocreatine
(PC), the body's high energy reservoir. PC cannot be fully replenished
in less than about three minutes. CIRCUIT TRAINING, a different
approach to using resistance, taxes the cardiovascular system
by continuous muscle contractions. The rest period is shorter
and resistance is considerably less than mentioned above.

5. Recovery
Allow adequate time between one workout and the next to help your
body recover. As a general rule, don't exercise the same muscle
group two days in a row, nor more than three times a week. If
you do your body will fatigue to a stale, overstrained state.
If you don't give your body a rest, it will take one on its own;
you will get injured. In sports medicine circles, this is commonly
called overuse syndrome.

6. Routine
For successful resistance training, a lifter must develop some
type of routine. Routines will vary due to such things as time,
availability of equipment and skill level of the lifter. Evaluate
yourself and your environment to determine what routine will be
best.

PERSONAL PROGRAM DESIGN: RESISTANCE TRAINING VARIABLES

A. Selection, Choice & Order of Exercises

1. Selection of Exercise

To reduce the risk of injuries and produce balanced muscle development,
you must strengthen the major muscle groups. The twelve key groups
are your quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, pectorals, trapezius,
lats, erector spinae, deltoids, triceps, biceps, abdominals and
gluteus. Work also on your obliques and adductors/abductors. If
you train some muscles and exclude others you may get poorer overall
results and perhaps eventually muscle injuries.

2. Choice of Exercise

When designing a resistance program, think about your "choice
of exercise". Exercises can be either body part or structural.
In a body part exercises you usually isolate a muscle. In structural
exercise you use many muscles to produce a movement. Remember
that every time you change the order of an exercise you functionally
change that exercise. You can also change that exercise as you
cycle through the year.

3. Order of Exercises
The order of the exercise will affect the severity of the workout.
The order will develop the basic framework for the workout. Basic
questions to ask:
(1) Does your workout progress from upper to lower body or vice-versa?
(2) Does your workout progress from body part (small muscle group)
to structural (large muscle group) or just the opposite?

The classical exercise order is from UPPER BODY to LOWER, and
LARGE muscle group to SMALL. Order your exercise based on your
athletic training level. If you are a beginner, start with a less
severe workout order; use an upper to lower body progression.
Here is a typical program showing order variations (small muscle
groups before large):

B: Intensity:
Training intensity is set primarily by the amount of resistance
(load). In strength training based on 1RM loads are light (70-79%
effort), medium (80-89%) or heavy (90-100%). Intensity is also
affected by the number of sets and reps, the rest interval, exercise
speed and the duration of the work-out.

Number Of Sets per Exercise
2 sets 3-6 RM 3-5 sets 3-4 sets
Total Sets Per Body Part
2 or more sets for larger parts 4-8 sets 9 to 20 sets 6 to 20
sets
Recovery Time between Sets
Up to 1 minute 2.5 to 3 mins 1 to 1.5 mins 1.5 to 2 mins
Frequency of Training per wk
2 to 3 days 3 to 4 days up to 6 days 4 days
Training Volume (Reps x Sets)
low medium high high
Length of Workout 30 to 45 mins 3/4 to 1 hr. 1-2 hours (depending
on total no. parts) 1 to 1.5 hours